A road incident in faraway Curchorem barely went unnoticed until Monday, when senior citizen Shantaram Kudchadkar filed a complaint at Curchorem Police Station. The complaint was against Rahul Faldessai, son of Cumbarjua MLA Rajesh Faldessai.
According to the complaint, Rahul’s SUV was parked diagonally near Pontemol Junction, obstructing traffic and his car. He reportedly honked to seek passage, but in return, they were allegedly subjected to verbal abuse and aggressive gestures involving rods or sticks, followed by a high-speed pursuit that continued up to Ambedkar Circle. The incident points to an inflated political attitude where power connections can create a sense of entitlement and embolden people to intimidate helpless citizens.
The incident also needs to be viewed against a broader deterioration in road behaviour. Across India, there have been several instances of political influence being invoked to assert authority over ordinary motorists and even traffic police. When political connections are perceived as a shield against consequences, the damage goes well beyond an individual confrontation.
An alarming pattern is seen where political influence and systemic entitlement manifest as overt hostility toward citizens and policemen alike. We have seen such cases in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Recently, a Tata Tiago EV driver driving on the wrong side at Malim Junction physically pushed an on-duty head constable and threatened to "finish him off.” Another incident was reported in Candolim last year when the son of Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi got into an aggressive roadside spat with locals over his driving stunts.
Goa has seen lately that its roads have become increasingly hostile. A State once associated with a relatively easygoing and courteous public culture is witnessing more aggressive driving, blatant traffic violations and ugly confrontations. Intolerance has become the order of the day. The State has set up cameras, signage, and traffic signals across highways, but none of that has helped in disciplining motorists. When family members of legislators engage in such intimidation, it risks sending the message that proximity to power offers protection from accountability.
An elected representative is entrusted with public office to serve citizens, address their grievances and ease their difficulties. That responsibility also carries an expectation of personal conduct. Political leaders and their families cannot demand respect for public office while disregarding the same laws and civic norms that bind everyone else. The issue is not about political affiliation or personal rivalry. It is about the basic principle that no citizen should feel threatened on a public road because the person on the other side has political connections.
When people begin to believe that influence matters more than the law, the trust in the system starts to fray. Unfortunately, this is an instance where people feel lost even when they are on the right side of the law. The only answer towards such cases is impartial enforcement of the law. The Curchorem police must examine the complaint strictly on its legal merits and proceed under the applicable provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita if the allegations are supported by evidence. What matters now is not simply what happens in this particular case, but what message the authorities send through their handling of it.
The rule of law cannot depend on a person's surname or connections; it has to be uniform for all. That is the standard the authorities must uphold, not just for the complainant, but for the credibility of the justice system itself.
